Collar holder



Feb. 28, 19 39. H T L 2,148,569

COLLAR HOLDER Filed Nov. 24, 1936 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 28, 1939 v UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAR HOLDER Alpha H. Metcalf, Attleboro, Mass. Application November 24, 1936, Serial No. 112,543

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a clasp of a type which may be used for collar holders or necktie holders; and has for one of its objects the provision of'a construction, the jaws of which may be opened to a considerable extent to receive the fabric beclamping position on the fabric.

Another object of the invention is the provision of jaws which may be maintained in widely opened position free fromany strain or tension upon any of theparts.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction which will be simple to operate in moving the parts to both opened and closed position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction which, where two holding jaws are'utilized, they may both be operated simu ane s A further object of the invention is the provision of a construction which will be neat in apsimultaneously-operable as to 4. r

pearance and effective in its function.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the clasp embodied in a collar holder.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the parts in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the parts in open position.

i Fig. 4 shows the difi'erent parts in perspective as separated to better illustrate their construction. I

,Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified construction of the clasp illustrating the. same as designed particularly for use as a tie holder.

Fig. 6 is the side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5. I

' Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a still further modified construction showing a'pair of jaws in a collar holder as individually operable rather than illustrated in Figs. 1

In collar. and tie holders which have movable jaws to grip the fabric, it is frequent where these jaws depend upon resiliency, to move them together and permit them to be flexed open against such resiliency, that the resiliency at some time or other becomes strained due to insertion of too thick fabric between the jaws or some other cause whereby a tight holding as required is destroyed; and further in clasps depending upon suchresiliency the jaws are usually short and a wide I spreading apart of the jaws cannot be had; and in order that these undesirable features maybe obviated I have pivotally secured a pair of jaws together and have provided arms arranged in a toggle relation for moving and holding these jaws to closed position by which arrangement the jaws may be widely separated, and when closed 'are securely locked due to the toggle arm arrangement which provides an inexpensive construction which is simple in operation and one in which two jaws may be operated simultanev ously in a collar holder if desired; and the fol-, lowing is a detailed description of the present embodiment of, this construction illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, I0 designates a front bar of a collarholder. This bar is provided with ears H which provide one suitable means for pivotally mounting jaw members l2, each having an ear B through which, and one of the ears II, a pin l4 passes. These jaw members are curved and provide a fabric receiving space l5 between the jaw l2 and the portion of the bar l0 forming a cooperating jaw.

Each jaw I2 is provided with an engaging portion I6 extending toward the bar or jaw member H) to define a more limited point of engagement with the fabric received between these parts. The jaw member l2 at one end is provided with an outwardly turned finger I! to provide a mouth l8 for more easy insertion of the fabric between the jaws. The enlarged engaging portion l6 also provides a pivot point for the connection of one of the arms l9 thereto by means of pivot pin 20 extending through ear 2| formed thereon, and the ear 22 at the enlarged portion I6 in the jaw l2. Another arm 23 similar to the arm I9 is pivotally related to the other jaw member l2 in the same manner, and these arms are pivotally wardly toward the bar 10 to close the jaws and hold them in closed position, or may be engaged for withdrawing the toggle arms from position 7 and also moving the jaws l2 to open position as shown in Fig. 3.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide individual locking and holding means for each of the pair of jaws for a collar holder, and in Fig. 7 I have illustrated this modified form of construction in which an additional pivot ear 2'! will be provided in the middle of the bar Hi, and toggle arms 28 and 29are pivoted together as at 30 andto the ear 2'! as well as to the pivot ears 22 on each of the jaws l2, whereby each jaw may be individually operated that a person'may clamp one jaw on one flap of the collar and then thereafter adjust the other flap of the collar and clamp the same in adjusted position. It will, of course, be understood that the jaws will also be individually releasable by this arrangement, and thus moreeffective adjustment of the device secured.

In Figs. and 6 I have illustrated that the construction as applied to a tie holder, in the form of a bent' up wire jaw 31 which provides the front bar which is bent as at 32 to provide a back portion 33 to which the other jaw 34 is pivotally connect'edas at 35. This jaw 34issufliciently curved or arched to provide a space between the pivot point 35and. thepivotpoint36 for the movement of another-pivot point 31 beyond the line between them so that a toggle action may be had between the arms 38 and 39 connected as at 36 and 4!) respectively to the jaw 34 andthe jaw 3 I.

By the arrangements which I have above illustrated, I- may open the jaws of the clasp to a desired extent to receive various thicknesses of fabric between them, and then by simply forcing toggley arranged arms towardone of the jaws I may cause it to move into engagement with the fabric, the relation of the jaws being such that that toggle may be formed between the arms so that any tendency to open will cause the toggle to more tightly engage the pointadjacent pivotal connections between the arms.

By this arrangement I depend on no springs and may provide a clasp which maybe used either as a collar holder or a tie h0lder, and the invention may be utilized for individually operating one jaw, or for simultaneously operating a pair of jaws.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes towhich the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim: v

1. A clasp comprising an elongated body member the end extremities of which provide fixed jaw members, movable jaw members cooperating therewith, and means including a pair of toggle arms connecting said movable jaws for moving said members" bodily toward the fixed jaws and holding them in such position, said toggle arms lying close to said elongated body and in general parellelism with the movable jaw members after adjustment into a holding position.

' 2.'A; collar holder comprising a bar, a pair of oppositely disposed rigid jaw members pivoted thereon and having their free ends movable toward'and away from said bar, and toggle means pivotally secured to each of said jaw members and movable toward said bar for simultaneously moving said jaw members without fiexureof the same toward said bar to closed position and looking them in closed position, said toggle means lying close to said bar and in general parallelism with the pivoted jaw members after adjustment into a holding position.

3. Acollar holder comprising an elongated body member the endextremities of which provide terminal jaws, arms pivotally mounted at one end uponsaid elongated body and provided at their free ends with jaws adapted to cooperate with the terminal jaws at the extremities of said body member in their closed position for gripping the ends of a collar, and a common operating means having operative connection with said arms lying close to said body member and in general parallelismwith said pivoted arms after adjustment of the jaws of the pivoted arms into a clamping position with respect to said terminal jaws.

ALPHA H. METCALF. 

